Ted Hampson went a lot of places. Now his peers are recognizing his years of work
The key to getting ahead in life in almost all instances is to treat people right.
A rarer one — once you’re well-established in your career — is to go out of your way to help people who are on their way up.
This would seem to be the way that long-time NHL scout Ted Hampson went about his work.
At the group’s second annual dinner next Wednesday in Okotoks, Alberta, Hampson will be added to the WCPSF’s Wall of Honour.
Born in Toigo, Sask., the 87-year-old Hampson played professionally in the NHL, WHA and minors until he was 44. His final three seasons was as a player-coach with the Central Hockey League’s Oklahoma City Stars.
After leaving the Stars in 1981, he began a two-year stint with the NHL’s Central Scouting Bureau, then was hired by the St. Louis Blues to head up their amateur scouting department. He stayed with the Blues until 2004.
In 2006, he began a two-year stint with the Colorado Avalanche as their head amateur scout.
But to be a successful scout, hockey consultant Shane Malloy says, you must be more than just about your handful of successes. Most scouts miss on most of their recruits. That’s a simple truth.
“The biggest thing in scouting is not to hit the home runs. It’s not to step on the landmines,” Malloy said. And in Hampson’s case, this is a lesson he learned very well. He also learned to share his lessons with others, especially younger scouts making their way into the business.
“The great thing about Ted is he has mentored these people to make them better scouts and better people,” Malloy added.
“You don’t last the years that Ted has without doing a good job. But also, it’s helping the younger guys along. Scouts like Ted, they’ve been great mentors to the younger generation. In scouting, there’s no manual, there’s no book, there’s no school. You have to be mentored by the older scouts. If it wasn’t for those guys, I would not have the career I currently have.”
Malloy never worked directly with Hampson, but knows him well by reputation.
“You talk to people out west, Ted has been their mentor. He’s been the rock that has helped that group along. He has great wisdom. He’s perfectly comfortable talking about his mistakes,” Malloy said.
TSN’s Craig Button scouted for a decade for the Dallas Stars/Minnesota North Starts organization, and knows Hampson well from those days.
“Diligent is the word that comes to mind when thinking about Ted. He always set out with a purpose when he was scouting. His work was intentional. He was focused, confident in his own thoughts and understanding of the process of evaluating and projecting young players,” he told Postmedia via text message.
“He was a model of work ethic and selfless purpose with a view of contributing to something bigger than himself. Great respect for Ted.”
Long-time hockey agent Ben Hankinson has seen Hampson at work first hand.
“Great human,” he replied when told that Hampson was being honoured next week.
John Garrett was a teammate of Hampson’s on the Minnesota Fighting Saints in the mid-1970s. Hampson was a long-toothed veteran by that point and was the team’s captain.
“It was an eclectic bunch. He was able to keep everyone together. It was WHA at its finest. We went six weeks without getting paid. It was a challenging time, big pressure on the captain and he sailed through it,” Garrett said.
“He became a real Minnesota guy. He went to bat for Brock. People said ‘well he didn’t skate well enough’ but Teddy said there’s more there. I know Brock was really appreciative of him for it. I’ve seen him speak with Teddy many times,” he added.
“He is a good guy.”
Malloy said that honouring Hampson in this way, by his peers, is the most important honour that can be bestowed. It’s why veteran scouts Ross Mahoney — who got his scouting start with the Canucks before moving to the Washington Capitals — and Garth Malarchuk started the foundation two years ago.
“It’s a way to say as a collective group, ‘Thank you for your contributions to the game’,” explained Malloy, who is helping promote the foundation’s work.
“The foundation is about honouring the past, contributing to the community through charity and mentoring. It’s no different than when the Professional Hockey Writers’ Association has someone honoured in the Hockey Hall of Fame.
“They deserve to be honoured by their peers. It’s a different type of honour when they’re honoured by their peers.”